The use of a standardised protocol for the pharmacological (using
Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors–SSRIs) and psychological
treatment of 10 consecutive adolescent patients with Obsessional
Compulsive Disorder is reported. The psychological treatment consisted of
exposure to the feared stimulus and cognitive behavioural treatment of
anxiety associated with this procedure. The results suggest that there are
benefits from both pharmacological and psychological treatments.
However, both treatments were difficult to implement. For the SSRIs,
some patients reported disinhibition of mood swings and behaviour. For
those patients who showed benefits from the pharmacological treatments,
there appeared to be a decrease in willingness to attempt psychological
methods. The psychological methods require considerable time, which
may not be available in clinics, and substantial effort by the patients.